


The Bodyguard

by The Loneliest Bird (ShintheCat)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Age Difference, Angela is a singer and an actress, Angela is younger, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-09-18 21:00:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9402701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShintheCat/pseuds/The%20Loneliest%20Bird
Summary: Overwatch AU, inspired by the movie The Bodyguard. Fareeha Amari, a retired special agent, accepts the offer to be the bodyguard of the famous and beautiful Angela Zeigler. Fareeha does not know her job would be so much more complicated when she meets America's sweetheart Angela Zeigler. It is no longer about protecting her client, it is about protecting the woman she loves.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello folks! This is the first chapter of my very first Pharmercy story, inspired by the awesome movie The Bodyguard. This story is not entirely an adaptation of the movie since I'll be alter some details to fit my taste. That is to say, the conversations between characters will be different from the movie. I hope you enjoy as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Have a nice day, love!  
> Disclaimer: I don't own Overwatch characters and the movie The Bodyguard.

The sound of the door bell had her hands paused in mid-air. After a few second contemplating, she ignored it and continued to polish her gun. There were knockings on the door now, and someone on the other side was calling for her.

"Come on, Amari. I know you're in there. You can't keep ignoring me."

Fareeha sighed. She finally gave up and dropped the gun on the table. She stood up and lazily walked to the door. A stern face greeted her when she opened the door. She stepped back and gestured for the man to come in. He nodded his head her way slightly before stepping in and settling himself in her couch.

"Can I get you something to drink, Jack?" Fareeha asked as she closed the door behind her.

"I'm good. Thank you," Jack grunted an answer.

Fareeha watched the man before her. Tall, strong build, and white hair, Jack Morrison gave off a stern yet reliable fatherly figure. An angry red scar ran across his face, cutting in between his eyebrows, made he look tough and formidable, but Fareeha knew deep down the man was soft at heart.

"Jack, it's good to see you-"

"I need a straight answer, Fareeha," Jack cut her, folding his arms, looking straight in her eyes.

"You already got it. The answer is still no!" Fareeha said, imitating his action. She folded her arms in front of her chest and crossed her legs, leaning back to the couch.

Jack stared at her hard for a good three minutes and finally dropped his gaze as he let out a deep sigh, "Fareeha, I'm desperate. You're all I've got now."

"Told you I don't do celebrity."

"Three grand a week and you're in charged, no restrictions!" Jack leaned in, pulling out a book of checks and slamming it on the table.

"I don't need money, Jack," said Fareeha easily, sipping at her beer. She picked up her gun again and started cleaning it.

"She's in grave danger, Fareeha. A psycho has been sending threats these past few weeks, and last Sunday was his first action. A man was injured…"

"What happened?" asked Fareeha. Although she didn't look at him or stopped what she was doing, Fareeha was listening carefully.

"He sent in gifts as a form of a bouquet and a teddy bear. She was lucky that she was busy signing autographs when the bear exploded, but her driver wasn't so lucky," Jack kept his eyes on her gun, watching her pull apart the metal thing with skills. "It was a mini bomb, no one died. But he's back at it, sending more threatening letters."

"I see…" Fareeha hummed, continued working on the gun. She seemed relaxed and indifferent, but on the inside, her head was working full-speed, processing the information. From the look of it, this could be a case of a psychotic fan, she thought.

"She needs you, Fareeha," Jack turned his gaze towards her, at last. His voice softened.

Slapping a magazine to her gun, she snapped it and spun the black metal object in her hand. She cocked the gun and aimed it at the door, and for a second she caught Jack's stunned expression. Fareeha smiled and released the trigger. She didn't forget to pull the safety catch on.

"Tell her I'll meet her tomorrow at ten," Fareeha stood, thrusting her gun in her belt. "And I want four grand a week," She said with finality, grinning at the old man as said person shook his head in defeat.

Fareeha stopped her car in front of the grand gate opening to an oasis. In front of her, beyond the steel automatic gate was a fountain. It was so big that Fareeha insisted there must be at least twenty people to be able to hug its perimeter. Surrounded the fountain were brick pathways lining the way to the garden. Fareeha took off her sunglasses to admire the mansion. From her position, she could tell how impressive it was. Built in Greek style, the place applied the post-and-lintel structure with huge white columns in Corinthian order. Privet hedge lined the walking path decorated with bushes of rose; statues of Greek gods and goddesses were placed here and there on huge marble podiums, looking down at their subjects with hollow eyes. Fareeha must admit who ever lived in this place really knew how to live. Maybe being a celebrity wasn't so bad, she thought.

Fareeha tore her gaze from the mansion and pulled her window down. She leaned outside to press on the button at the security post. The machine greeted her with its flat, automatic voice.

"You are in a private residence. State you name and business after the beep. Thank you."

"Fareeha Amari to meet with Miss Angela Zeigler," said Fareeha.

There were some noises on the other side of the speaker, and a few seconds later, Fareeha heard human voice, a man, "Miss Zeigler has no appointment with anyone today. Maybe it's a mis-"

"Call Morrison and tell him he has a friend expecting him," Fareeha interrupted the man with irritation. It was pretty hot outside, and the sun was blazing its rays in her eyes. She would really appreciate it if everything was to be done swiftly.

There was another pause, and Fareeha leaned her head back in her seat, cursing Jack silently. Come to think of it, this wasn't like Jack at all. The man was professional. He was the man of his words. He did what he promised, and after working for him for a short time in the past, she had come to know that Jack was very reliable. He was one of the few people she trusted.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am," the voice came back to her at last, "Sir Morrison will see you inside."

Fareeha snorted, pulling her window up. Since when did Jack become a 'Sir', she laughed. If anyone, Jack was the most casual guy she had ever known. He was as laid back as an old cowboy, chewing his tobacco when no one noticed, and his jokes was the worst of the worst. He himself had also admitted he could not tell a decent joke. But that was him, old Morrison, just black or white, no in between.

Fareeha drove through the gate, turned the left corner to get to the back garden as instructed. If the front of the mansion was quiet and secluded, the backyard was the opposite. People were everywhere, running left and right, yelling and laughing at each other. Someone even crossed her car without warning, forcing Fareeha to stomp at her break. She stopped her car to look for a place to park, but she was having difficulty in doing just that. It was as if there was no empty space left in this sea of people. The people here acted as if she did not exist even after she had gotten out of her car to ask for help. Fareeha was truly lost for the first time. Just when she was about to pull her phone out and call Jack, someone from her right yelled something. She turned to see a young man with dark skin and dreadlocks waving excitedly at her. After making sure he had captured her attention, the man ran to her.

"You're lost there, I assume?" he smiled.

"Yeah, I am. What's wrong with this place? You have a party going on here?" Fareeha asked, frowning at some young women winking at her as they passed by.

Oh, it's like this every day. Miss Zeigler loves the lively air, so she let families of her staff come and stay here whenever they want. I'm Lúcio, by the way, her private driver," the young man named Lúcio raised up his hand for a shake.

"Amari," Fareeha shook his hand, nodding acknowledgement. "What's wrong with your left arm?" she asked immediately after noticing white bandage on his other arm.

"I don't know if you have heard, it's thanks to the teddy bear," Lúcio winced at the memory, "I was lucky I didn't stand too close, or else I'm a goner now."

"Sorry to hear that."

"So, who are you? I've never seen you around," Lúcio smiled again. He was a handsome young man in his prime. Even though he wasn't very tall, in fact he was a head shorter than Fareeha, Lúcio got the smile. His smile was warm and welcome, and Fareeha bet lots of girls had been smitten with it.

"I'm here to talk to Morrison about this terrorist problem," Fareeha's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the area while talking to Lúcio. She didn't look at him directly, but she could see from her peripheral vision how the information had shocked him.

"Wow! You're that bodyguard Jack's been talking about. I bet you are something yourself since you're asking for a lot of money."

"Everything has a price," Fareeha replied easily, now focusing her gaze on the high columns. "Do you know where I can park?"

"Don't worry. You can just leave it here."

Fareeha did looked at him this time; a dark eyebrow rose up in question.

"I'm serious. Nobody cares really," Lúcio laughed, gesturing to her left and right, "You see? Cars everywhere. At first there was a parking place right there, next to that statue…" he pointed to the far left, where the statue of David was; surrounding the statue was two cars, a small table with drinks on it to the side, a grill, an ice-cone machine, and a vending machine. "…But eventually so many things were bought and placed there because it's near the pool that it was no longer a parking place," Lúcio finished lamely, cocking his head as he contemplated the now packed area.

Fareeha didn't comment on. She watched the scene before her: a big pool full of people was in the middle of the garden; reclining chairs were scattered around its edge, also occupied by people. Tables of food and drinks were everywhere; coolers were abandoned on the ground, bags of snacks were littered all over the grass. People laughing, sunbathing, jumping in the water, splashing water at each other. Fareeha sniffed elegantly, putting her sunglasses back on. There was only one word in her mind right at the moment: chaos.

Making her way through large corridors lit only by candles, Fareeha determined to find the main hall as Lúcio had given her instructions. She was relieved to find there weren't many people inside unlike in the garden. Those people she had passed by also looked professional and seemed to be focusing on getting their job done. She guessed the mass of people outside were just visitors, and Miss Zeigler's staff was those who worked in the mansion.

Her ears suddenly caught loud-beat music somewhere, and Fareeha used her skills to pinpoint the place. As the music was getting louder, Fareeha picked up her pace until she finally stood in front of a big room with vaulted ceiling and high pane glass windows. Her stomach dropped as she noted that the room was also packed with people. They seemed to be in the middle of a practice session. Stage lights shone brightly above her head, casting white beams over the dancers as they move passionately to the music; cameras and recording machines seemed to be forming a circle around the dance floor. Those who didn't dance stood to the side watching, swaying slightly to the upbeat music.

The dancers suddenly moved away to the edge of the dance floor, creating a small ring. Light was suddenly turned down into a mysteriously dim hue, and the music was slowing down. Then, suddenly light was on again, zooming in on the only figure that was moving on the floor. Fareeha squinted her eyes at the bright light, and she immediately recognized that moving body inside the ring of people. It was Angela Zeigler, the famous and talented singer and actress. Her pale blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, exposing a long pale neck. Her gray tank-top was dampened with sweat as she moved side to side in rhythm with her dancers. Her black leggings hugged her thighs perfectly, leaving everybody gawking as she gave her full hips a little swaying here and there.

Fareeha came closer to the ring, folding her arms as she watched the performance. Angela was walking with confident across the floor. In her right hand was a microphone, and she pointed the other at a dancer standing a few feet away from her, beckoning him to her with a single finger. As the dancer moved close to her and pretended to steal a kiss, Angela pushed him away and looked down pitifully as he fell to the floor. She moved to another dancer, a female this time, and grabbed her chin and yanked it to her face before bumping her hip to hers, sending her away again. Angela moved with dexterity as if she was born to move this way, or maybe she had been doing her homework, Fareeha thought to herself. She had to give the girl credit for her swaying hips, her long legs, and her playful smirks though.

A hand on her shoulder pulled her away from the performance. She turned and saw Jack standing right beside her. "She's magnificent, isn't she?" he said quietly for the two of them to hear.

"She's pretty," Fareeha shrugged, eyes were still on the striking blonde.

Jack laughed at her comment, shaking his head, "All those moves and you can only say that she's pretty?"

Fareeha didn't bite back. She was never quite the fan of celebrities, especially those in the entertainment industry. Maybe she was getting old herself, but she had lost interest in the music as well as the movies long ago. She considered the life of a celebrity a wreckage, with up and down no one could control. This was one of the reasons why she refused to work for celebrities. She hated the fame and attention entailed.

"I'm proud of her," Jack spoke again, "She has achieved so much in such a short time. Only twenty-six and look at her. She's got everything…" he was looking at her with eyes of a proud father even though Fareeha knew he had no children. Jack had been Angela Zeigler's manager and producer from the very beginning, when she had had her very first debut. He had been with her through thick and thin, encouraging her when things had been tough. Jack had always found a way to mention Angela to Fareeha whenever they met. What Angela had achieved was everything Jack had ever dreamed of getting himself. His time had passed, but he would make sure Angela's name would go in history. And for that, Fareeha had her respect for the man.

The performance ended with Angela standing proudly in the middle of the ring, surrounded by her dancers, panting slightly. At once, everyone in the room clapped and whistled at her, even Jack. Fareeha stayed silent, however, watching the golden girl with interest. Fareeha watched Angela bow gracefully at her audience, and the next second she jumped up and down like a kid who had been given candies, grabbing her dancers for hugs and kisses. She stopped hugging people when another girl with glasses came up to her to give her water and a towel. Fareeha didn't understand why she couldn't stop her staring when Angela tipped her head back to drink her water. The way that pale and sweaty throat moved as she gulped down water did strange things to Fareeha's body. However, if Fareeha was affected by the beautiful singer, she masked it perfectly. Just another pretty face.

Angela was laughing at something one of her dancers had said when Jack approached her. She stopped and listened to what he had to say. Fareeha maintained her eyes on them as Jack pointed at her direction, whispering in Angela's ears. And, their eyes finally met. The gaze Angela was giving her lingered a little too long, and even though Fareeha felt a bit intimidated, she continued to stare head-on. Something about her gaze piqued Fareeha's interest. It was intense and unwavering, but at the same time, judging. She could tell the singer was a very confident woman and wasn't afraid to express her feelings. Fareeha smiled to herself, watching Angela made her way to her with purposeful strides, followed by Jack. She's no angel, she chuckled.

"Nice to meet you Miss Zeigler. I'm Fareeha Amari," Fareeha smiled, hand outstretched.

Angela moved her eyes up and down her body unabashedly before coming back to look at her face. A smirk graced her pouty lips, "I saw you when you first walked in. By the way you've been staring, I assume you enjoyed the show?" Angela took her hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"I did," said Fareeha, noting the fact that Angela's hand felt so small and soft in hers.

"Hmm…couldn't spare a clap, could you?" said the singer. Even though Angela was smiling at her, Fareeha could taste the thick sarcasm the shorter woman was throwing at her.

"Angela, please. Amari will be your new bodyguard from now on," Jack quickly intervened, saving a potentially unnecessary fight.

"It was a joke, Jack. She knows…" Angela paused, looking up at her with half-leaded eyes, "…right, Miss Amari?"

Fareeha didn't reply. She knew exactly what Angela was playing at. She was toying with her, trying to pick out her weaknesses, and Fareeha wasn't about to do that. She was here for one job and one job only, and that was to protect her client, which in this case was one Angela Zeigler, America's sweetheart.

"You're hired," said Angela casually. She finally shifted her eyes away, picking up an apple on a plate nearby and took a bite. "Can I get you something to drink, captain?" she looked up at Fareeha again.

"Just water. Thank you," answered Fareeha. She preferred a cold bottle of beer right now, but she couldn't have alcohol in her system while working. That was unprofessional.

"Just water? Where did you get this one, Jack?" Angela laughed but stopped short when Fareeha didn't. Clearly, Angela must know she wasn't here to play one of her twisted games.

"Mei, sweetie," Angela called after an awkward moment. The chubby woman with glasses Fareeha had seen bringing the blonde water and towel appeared next to Angela. "Can you get captain Amari a glass of water? Thank you, honey."

The woman hurried away and came back a moment later. She gave Fareeha her water and nodded quietly when she thanked her. She then ushered to the side, watching them talking again. Fareeha decided to pay Mei no mind. She swallowed a gulp of water and was surprised to know how dry her throat had been. Talking to this princess sure got her hot all over, of course in a literal way that was, she concluded. She put her glass down and walked around the room, taking in every detail of the spacious room.

"Fareeha, this is Aleksandra Zaryanova. You two would be working together from now on so get to know each other," Jack informed her from behind.

"Hey, call me Zarya. I'm the princess's buffer," said the woman called Zarya, grinning as she held out a hand for Fareeha. Stood before Fareeha was a huge woman, at least 6 feet tall; her arms were so thick and muscular Fareeha believed one punch from her would sent her opponent to the hospital. Looking at her, Fareeha bet she had no trouble lifting up both her and Jack. Fareeha was very tall and strong in her own skin, but to compare with this Zarya, she was nothing.

"Oh, stop it already," Angela laughed, elbowing the pink-haired woman in the rib.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Fareeha Amari," Fareeha shook hands with her, noting how strong her grip felt.

"So, this is the famous Amari everyone has been talking about?"

Fareeha turned to the sound of her name. A man in late twenty, with green hair and a set of eyebrows so prominent and sharp Fareeha almost believed they could cut paper. He was wearing a black suit with a pair of pristine black shoes. His hair was styled in a spikey way, but he put too much amount of gel to it that it turned out stiff and fake.

"The name Genji, Genji Shimada," the guy introduced himself, holding out his hand. "It might be hard to believe, but I'm her highness's manager," he continued, laughing as Angela elbowed yet again another person.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shimada," Fareeha shook his hand, nodding curtly.

"Oh, please call me Genji. I don't like my last name. Long story," Genji smiled. There was something about him that irked Fareeha, but she couldn't put a name to this feeling yet. She told herself to be careful around this guy.

"Now that we have introduced each other, I guess we can start working on the matter at hand?" Jack clapped his hands together, looking side to side. "Amari?"

"All of the rooms should have at least two cameras in two opposite corners, except for the bathrooms and bedrooms," said Fareeha, walking to the windows. "These frames…" she touched the wooden frame of the window, "…need to be changed. I want stainless steel."

"Noted," Jack affirmed.

Fareeha walked around the room. She was well aware of a pair of blue eyes watching her every move. If Fareeha suddenly felt a little hot in the room, she ignored it. She told herself that today was exceptionally hot and humid, and it was the weather that had such odd effect on her, not because of a certain blonde beauty.

"I want a list of everyone working in this house, including name, employee profile, address, and phone number by tomorrow," she continued. "Miss Zeigler will ride in one vehicle, one driver only…"

"Hey, wait a minute-" Angela was about to protest, but Fareeha could see Jack had stopped her before she could say anything else.

"The gates and doors of this place need a new security lock system. I suggest we start doing it as soon as possible. I want her specific schedule, such as appointments or news conferences," Fareeha deliberately used the third-person as she gave out orders, and she smiled to herself at a fuming Angela, who had folded her arms in front of her chest, annoyed. "She will let me know whenever she's going out, and I will always be the one to escort her," Fareeha continued anyway.

"I'm right here. Why don't you just talk to me?" Angela snapped, at last. Her comment earned some giggles from the others, but Fareeha ignored her completely. The singer was about to hurl another venomous comeback at her, but Jack once again stopped her. Fareeha fixed herself immediately after letting her head think Angela was really cute being pissed.

"I want two guards at every entrance 24/24, and they will report to me at the end of the day."

"We've got it," Jack nodded. He seemed to be the only one who listened earnestly.

"One last thing, no more parties and visits whatsoever…"

"What?" Angela exploded. "Now that is too much, Amari!" she stepped forward, thrusting her face in Fareeha's personal space. "This is still my house, let me remind you of that!" She hissed, poking at Fareeha's chest.

"I'm well aware of that fact. What I'm asking is all for your protection," Fareeha stood her place even though Angela's intoxicating body and fragrance lured her into a complete opposite direction. If anything, Fareeha was the best in masking her feelings. She wasn't called the Poker monster for no reason.

"I don't need that kind of protection!" Angela yelled.

"Angela, please…" Jack hurried to the rescue, but his hand was swatted away when he tried to pulled the singer back.

"Then I guess my presence here isn't needed anymore," Fareeha said calmly even though she was on the edge of explosion herself. First, she toyed with her, and now was mad and yelling at her for no reason. Fareeha took her job very seriously, and if her client chose not to cooperate with her, there was nothing to discuss anymore.

"You are damn right!" Angela barked, yanking her arms away from Jack's hold and walking out of the room, leaving everyone stunned.

Fareeha followed the blonde shortly after, but instead of going after her, she made her way to the door. She walked pass a few surprised visitors in the garden, growling at a poor guy who drunkenly bumped into her. She kept walking to where her car was even as Jack was calling behind her. Poor old Jack had to run to catch up with her. He stepped in front of her, stopping her strides, panting softly.

"Fareeha, you know I'm not a young man anymore," he panted, clutching at his chest as he gulped in air.

"I'm leaving, Jack."

"Fareeha, listen to me. She doesn't understand the situation-"

"She's a brat, Jack!" Fareeha cut him short. "I can't work with children! I'm a bodyguard, not a babysitter," she breathed in and out heavily, trying to swallow her anger. She could tell her face had grown red and her shirt dampen under her jacket. The sun above wasn't doing any help either.

"She doesn't know, Fareeha," Jack insisted.

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't know anything about the letters and the teddy bear,"

"What?"

"I and Genji agreed not to tell her…yet. She's got so many things in her plate already. We didn't want to terrify her," said Jack, rubbing his forehead.

"My God, Jack…This is no joking matter," said Fareeha. Her eyes widened at the revelation.

"Fareeha, please."

"Alright, but you tell her everything! You understand?" Fareeha grabbed his shoulder to get his attention. "And tell her if she wants me to stay, she will do it my way. Am I clear?" she continued in that military tone her mother used on her in the past.

"Don't use that tongue with me, kiddo. I've had enough lectures from that old lady," Jack laughed, pushing at her shoulder playfully. "I've got it. No more secret."

"No more secret," Fareeha grinned at him, retaliating with a playful push of her own, but she accidentally used too much force that her push sent him off balance.

Jack fell to the pool behind them with a big splash.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! It's Angela's POV!

**The Bodyguard**

0ooo0

Angela slammed the door to her room with unnecessary force. She walked to her bed, picked up a massive pillow and threw it across the room. As though swinging the innocent pillow wasn't enough to cool her down, Angela walked to where it landed and trampled on the thing with her foot, thinking about a certain dark-skinned woman with a tattoo under her right eye.

"How dare she? Order me around like that. Who does she think she is?" Angela mumbled angrily. She kicked the pillow away after she decided she was done torturing it.

Despite being sweaty and hot, Angela flopped down her bed and closed her eyes. Her anger had cool down now thanks to the pillow still lay abandoned on the floor, but another feeling crept up inside of her. It was guilt. She shouldn't have behaved like a total brat. She shouldn't have told Fareeha to go. She admitted there was something very intriguing about Fareeha that she couldn't not think about her. Aside from her striking appearance, with short raven hair, tall and lean, and piercing amber eyes, Fareeha's voice was what had captured her attention. It was low and full of power. It could melt butter and send shiver down Angela's spine. Angela was shocked that she had the decency to blush at the thought of her new bodyguard. She felt her face grow hot, her throat dry, and her body sweat even more imagining Fareeha wearing a little less clothes than she had had this morning.

"Stupid Angie! What the hell did you do?" Angela grunted, turned on her stomach and buried her face to her pillow. You shouldn't have shooed her away. You want her to stay, dummy!

Part of her was calculating the situation. It wouldn't be too late if she ran to Fareeha now and told her she wanted her to stay. But the stubborn and arrogant side told her the opposite. Why do you have to lower yourself? You are Angela Zeigler, the rich and famous singer, the gifted actress, the source of many fantasies. You don't need such a bodyguard like her. Angela pulled away from her pillow, sighing. She did want Fareeha to stay. She was just too prideful to say it out loud.

"Angie?" someone called out for her from outside, and it was Mei, her personal secretary.

"Not now, Mei," said Angela.

"Angie, captain Amari wanted to talk to you. She's waiting in the lounge," Mei gently said.

"What? Why?" Angela sat up so fast she felt dizzy and had to use her arms for support.

"Apparently, Jack managed to talk her down. They're waiting for you."

Angela's face formed a triumphant smile. She jumped off her bed, hopping in front of the mirror and fixing her hair. She applied some lip gloss to her lips and some blush to accentuate her cheek bones even though she knew she would take them all off once she took a shower. Angela looked down at her body and frowned. Her tank-top was darkened with patches of sweat, and she swore she could smell her own odor. She was tempted to take a quick shower but decided against it. She didn't want to test Fareeha's patient, not after her silly outburst earlier. She decided to change out of her sweaty tank-top and opted for a simple white tee. Even though first impression was very important, Angela had already ruined it, so she guessed she would have to try harder on the second impression. It was for the sake of her protection and nothing more, she concluded.

0ooo0

Striding confidently into the lounge, Angela's eyes immediately found the dark tall figure standing near the grand piano. There was no sight of Jack and others. It was just her and Fareeha in this room. Angela stopped to watch Fareeha. The tall woman seemed to not notice her arrival yet as she kept her attention on the piano, eyes downcast. Fareeha's expression was surprisingly relaxed as she glided her long fingers on the keys, playing a tune Angela didn't recognize. Angela's breath was almost taken away by looking at Fareeha's profile: dark and thick eyebrows, long and curved eyelashes, straight nose, full lips, prominent cheek bones, and a squared chin. Angela had seen countless of men and women in suits, but no one had had such strong effect on her like Fareeha had. Her simple dark-blue suit was just ravishing, and Angela cursed loudly inside her head for wanting to be hold by those strong arms. She took a deep breath before approaching her new bodyguard.

"You play?" asked Angela.

"Miss Zeigler," Fareeha turned to look at her with slight surprise in her eyes. "I used to."

"Please call me Angela," said Angela, moving next to Fareeha.

"Angela," Fareeha called, and Angela suppressed the shiver running through her at the way Fareeha wrapped her tongue around each syllable of her name. "I understand this is difficult for you to-"

"I am sorry for earlier. It was out of line," Angela interrupted the tall woman. She knew she was blushing, but she kept her gaze fixed in burning ambers. "I know I'm not a good negotiator, but I will try my best to work things out with you."

"And I appreciate that a lot," Fareeha replied quietly, maintaining their eye contact. "Angela, there's something you need to know…" Fareeha softly continued but was interrupted yet again by a different person.

"I'll tell her that, captain Amari. Thank you," said Genji as he joined them, followed by Jack.

"Tell me what?" Angela asked. She was surprised and annoyed at the fact that Jack and Genji had kept something from her. She shot Jack a look of hurt before turning her attention towards Genji.

"We will discuss this later, okay Angie? Right now we need to talk about how to 'rebuild' the house," Genji smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Angela knew it was supposed to make her feel at ease, but it did nothing of such. In fact, it irritated her even more, but she decided to wait. "Captain Amari, Jack and I will provide you with a construction team, and they will start working on the house tomorrow morning. I trust you will give them specific instructions?" Genji addressed Fareeha, smiling.

"Of course. Thank you," said Fareeha.

"I'll assemble a security team for you soon, Fareeha. On a second note, Angela has a dinner date with Vogue editor in chief tomorrow night. I know you asked for a fixed schedule but right now I can't have that yet. Give me a few days, alright?" it was Jack's turn to inform them all.

"Alright," Fareeha nodded.

Angela felt like she was left aside once again while they talked about her life. The anger in her bubbled up again, and it was so tempting to just let off steam right at the moment. She was certainly annoyed by the fact that Jack and Genji, her trusted people, had kept secrets from her, and then they moved on to discuss her problems without letting her have her own opinions. However, what angered her the most was that they treated her no more than a child in front of Fareeha. Angela was having a very civil conversation with her bodyguard. She and Fareeha had almost come to a mutual understanding, but it was all shattered by their intrusion, who thought they knew what best for her. Angela was not someone who let others control her life.

"Excuse me, but has anyone noticed that I am still present?" Angela said, loud enough for everyone to hear. She got the attention she wanted as the three of them stopped talking and turned to look at her.

"Angie sweetheart, I'll tell you what you need to know later, okay?" Genji quickly assured her, but Angela didn't want his attention.

"I'm not talking about that, Genji," she snapped. "Last time I checked, this is still my life, correct?" she continued, giving Jack a fleeting look before focusing her gaze on her new bodyguard.

"Of course…" Jack nodded, frowning in confusion.

"So, I would like to have a saying in this. Do you mind?" said Angela, pleased to see the three of them nodded in acknowledgement. "Lena and I are going shopping this afternoon, then we are going to lunch together after."

"Wait, what? Angela, you have a meeting with DJ Zip at 2. Don't tell me you forgot," Jack said. His eyebrows were now practically sticking together, creating ugly creases on his forehead.

"I didn't, but Lena is back from her trip. I want to see her," said Angela easily.

"Can it move to another day?"

"Sorry Jack, but no. I'm not going to put my best friend on second for some mediocre dude who produces cheap music," Angela shrugged, ignoring a shocking look Jack was giving her. "Is it a problem, captain Amari?" she shifted her attention to Fareeha, locking eyes with ambers.

"No, it's not. I'll escort you to wherever. All I'm going to say is you should minimize your outings as many as possible until I get everything ready," Fareeha replied calmly, staring back into her eyes.

"Oh come on, guys. It's just a lunch date. No one is going to get hurt!"

"We have to be careful, Angela," Jack insisted. He turned to Genji next, "I have to go and reschedule the meeting with Zip. He's not going to be pleased." Then, with a curt nod to Angela and Fareeha, he hurried out of the lounge.

"Who cares if he's pleased or whatever," Angela snorted, and she was pleased to see Genji laugh along. She turned to Fareeha, and just as she had expected, the tall woman's expression stayed stoic.

"Angela, I need to know who this Lena is," Fareeha said.

"She's my best friend."

"That's not the information I asked for. I want her record. I want to know what she does, what kind of people she associates with, and if it's possible, I would need to know her social security number," Fareeha said all of that in just one breath, and Angela was beyond shocked herself.

"Wait a minute. Are you investigating her?" asked Angela.

"Simply put, yes I am."

"Why?"

"For your safety, of course."

"She's Lena, for God's sake. She would never do anything to harm me!" Angela exclaimed angrily. She couldn't believe Fareeha would actually put Lena, her best of best friend, her family, as a suspect.

"We don't know that," despite her raging tone, Fareeha's reply was so cool and calm it irritated Angela to no end.

"No, you don't because you don't know her, but I do! She's my family, and I'm not going to let your obsession with bad guys upset her!" yelled Angela.

"Angela, I know why you react this way, but if you understand the situation, you will let me do my job," Fareeha kept talking in that low and calm voice with an indifferent expression, and Angela was so angry she even wanted to step forward and give her a slap across her face to strip off that mask.

"You know what? Screw you and your sick job! You will not touch my Lena. She's off limit. Period!" Angela barked, and for the second time, she stomped away fuming, leaving behind her new bodyguard, who infuriated her every single time they met.

0ooo0

"Angie, calm down," Genji called for Angela, catching up with her.

"She's just too much, and did you see the way she responded? She's getting on my nerves, Genji. I can't stand that face!" Angela cursed. She walked into the kitchen and yank the fridge open. She stood looking at nothing for a good two minutes because she didn't even know why she opened the thing in the first place. Angela slammed the fridge shut after deciding she didn't need anything from it. She moved to the kitchen island and sat down on the tool heavily. "She acts as if she's my boss!"

"You are your own boss, Angela," Genji sat down next to her, rubbing his hand on her back. "That Amari is a psycho, I tell you. It's like she sees bad guys everywhere."

Angela was silent. She knew Fareeha was far from what Genji had said. Fareeha had been in the military before, and she was an ex-special agent, or that was what Jack had told her. The Amari woman was the best of the best was what Jack had acclaimed, but when she asked him the reason why Fareeha left the force, Jack had given her a lie. Angela knew it wasn't because of money; it was something else. Something must have happened in the past that had Fareeha retired. Fareeha might look cold and untouchable, but she gave off the vibe of responsibility and honor. She wouldn't leave her job and teammates just for money.

"I still don't understand why we have to hire her," Genji continued, pulling Angela back to the present. He picked up an apple and took a big bite, humming in approval. "Want a bite?" asked Genji as he thrust his already-bitten apple to Angela.

"No, thanks. There are plenty for me in the basket," Angela frowned, looking in disgust at the messily bitten apple in his hand. She never understood how he could casually offer eaten food to people. This reminded her of one time Genji had joked about this particular habit of his, saying he was simply testing the food to see if it was poisoned. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?" said Angela, taking an apple for herself.

"Yeah, about that…Angie, the reason I kept it from you was because I didn't want to terrify you. You were so stressed out with the way things were before, so-"

"Just tell me already!" Angela cut him squared. She almost felt sorry for the way she had left his mouth hung open, but the curiosity had the better of her.

"Alright," Genji sighed, "There were a constant amount of letters from an unknown sender, threatened to harm you."

"What?" Angela exclaimed, eyes widened. "What kind of letter?"

"The words were cut out from newspaper and combined into sentences. Now, it might be just a stupid joke from your anti-fans…"

"Where are they? I want to see what's written inside," demanded Angela. She had already stood up from her seat, hand outstretched. "Genji!" she snarled when Genji had shown his hesitation.

"Fine! But reading them won't solve anything, Angela. This way," Genji stood up, walking out of the kitchen. He led her towards his study where he pulled out a pile of paper from the drawer of his desk. "Here."

Angela took the pile. She carefully opened one of the envelops, pulling out a sheet of paper. Her eyes darted from left to right, and a hand slowly crept its way to her mouth. The crumbled letter read:

DEAR ANGELA,

YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL UNGRATEFUL BITCH. YOU HAVE EVERYTHING, BUT YOU NEVER GIVE. YOU WALK CONFIDENTLY ON THE STREET, THINKING NO ONE WILL TOUCH YOU? YOU ARE WRONG, PRINCESS. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE WATCHING. ALWAYS.

"Angie?"

She heard Genji's voice, but she ignored him. Quickly dropping the letter to the ground, she opened another one, hands shook in anticipation. This time, the letter had illustration inside. She saw a red skull with a knife plunged deep into its head painted at the bottom left. Angela quickly swallowed a surge of panic. She took a deep breath and began reading.

DEAR MY PRINCESS,

I SAW YOU. YOU WERE ALL OVER YOUR HANDSOME MALE CO-STAR. YOU UNFAITHFUL WHORE. YOU THINK I DID NOT KNOW? I KNOW EVERYTHING YOU DO. PUNISHMENT AWAITS YOU. MARK MY WORDS.

Angela angrily tore off the letter. She crumbled it violently and threw it to the nearby fireplace. She quickly opened another letter, but Genji had stopped her hands. She threw daggers at him with her look as he had yanked away the pile of paper from her grip. "Give them back!" she barked, nostrils flared up in anger.

"That's enough, Angela. You need to calm down. Your face is burning," said Genji.

"I'm fine. Give them to me! Now!"

"No!"

She turned to a different voice this time and was shocked to find Fareeha standing in the door way. The woman regarded her for a few seconds before darting her eyes towards Genji. She strode to where he was and outstretched her hand.

"I need them, Genji," Fareeha used the commando tone, and Angela was stunned to see Genji handed her the letters without protest.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Angela growled, grounding on her new bodyguard.

"Doing my job," replied Fareeha, ignoring her burning stare. She tied the letters with a single rope and put them inside her jacket.

"Those are for me. I have not finished with them. Give them back!"

"For what? So you can tear off another evidence?" Fareeha finally looked at her. The cold and serious expression was once again plastered on that handsome face. "I think not."

"You!"

"Enough, Angela!" Jack roared, shutting her off.

Angela stopped immediately. She didn't notice Jack's presence until now. She guessed she was too angry and busy fighting with Fareeha to realize he had been in the room the whole time. Angela was about to lash at the old man, but she closed her mouth when she saw the furious look Jack was giving her. She knew this look. Jack rarely got mad. He was a pro at keeping his temper, unlike her. However, this was those very rare times that Jack had turned into someone you don't want to mess with.

"You're making it very difficult for me, Angela! Stop acting like a child for once and listen to Fareeha!" said Jack.

"You're not my father, Jack. I do and say whatever I want!" Angela yelled. She added volume to the latter sentence, addressing everyone in the room.

"Go to your room!" Jack bellowed, and the look he was giving her left no space for arguing.

Angela threw one last resentful glare at the old man before stomping out of the study, eyes stung. The last time he told her to go to her room was when she was being a brat to a director years ago, when she was just seventeen. Jack was never the man of authority. He used his tenderness and gentle nature to talk Angela in listening to him. He hadn't been forceful with her like this for years, and it wasn't like she was wrong, Angela thought angrily, wiping her tears away. She felt humiliated. She wasn't a child anymore, but he used that tone on her in front of a stranger, in front of Fareeha. Fareeha of all people! She laughed humorlessly at the thought of a very smug Fareeha who had just witnessed her downfall. Angela slammed open the door leading to a beautiful garden with a big pool in the middle and a massage tent at the far end. It was her private sanctuary. She strode to the pool, picked up a beach ball nearby and threw it in the water with great force. The ball made a big splash before bouncing away. She must be beaming in victory right now. What a jerk!

"Angela!"

Angela stopped and turned to face the owner of a familiar voice. "Lena!" she exclaimed, dropping another beach ball she had picked up, and ran towards the shorter person standing a few feet away. She threw her arms around the spikey hair girl, pulling her in for a bear hug. "I missed you!"

"Missed you too, blondie," Lena returned with a squeezing hug, laughing. Her thick British accent was so endearing to Angela despite its child-like pitch. "So, what has upset my little Angie that she decided to drown an innocent ball?" Lena asked after they had released each other.

"Oh, stop it you. I'm not little anymore," Angela laughed. The resentment and embarrassment she felt earlier had disappeared completely. "It was nothing big deal."

"Your face doesn't say so, ya know?"

Angela smiled. She put an arm over the other girl's shoulders as she walked them inside. "Come. I have so much to tell you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks, that was it for our beloved Angela. I know I made her into a little annoying princess in this chapter, but you have to imagine being in her shoes. She's rich and famous, and she got so used to people admiring her, not ordering her around like that. And she's a headstrong and confident woman, she wouldn't succumb to anyone. But I promise things will change in the future. Right now Pharmercy is just going to dance around each other.
> 
> Thanks for reading, guys! See you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed Ariana Grande's beautiful song Into You. I love that song so much!

 

**The Bodyguard**

0ooo0

Fareeha stood next to a rack full of various types of jeans, arms crossed. The afternoon was dragging by painstakingly slow with Angela and her best friend Lena invaded shops after shops, buying a mountain of clothes and cosmetics. Fareeha had tagged along their every step, scanning the areas like a hawk. She knew she might scared people around because of her serious demeanor, and probably annoy one beautiful singer, but it was her job to be cold and intimidated. It was what she did best.

She had done a quick check on Lena, and Fareeha let herself believe that the girl was not a threat to her client. Lena and Angela had been friends since middle school, and even when Angela dropped high school to pursuit her singing career, they remained in touch. Thinking about the Brit, Fareeha concluded that she could like Lena. The girl was boisterous but in a good way. They didn't talk much during the shopping, but Lena was very polite and friendly, and she could subdue an angry Angela in a matter of seconds with her silly jokes. Lena might look young for her age, but she was definitely not a spoiled kid. She made Fareeha's job a bit easier.

"You look absolutely and utterly adorable in this one, love!" exclaimed Lena somewhere behind.

Fareeha turned to see a blushing Angela in a yellow floral dress, and she had to agree with Lena. Angela was very attractive, that fact everybody knew, but it was not just some random beauty Fareeha saw on TV commercials or reality shows, it was full of energy and passion, and sensual in a dangerous way. It was questioningly obvious that Angela could command people just by her good looks.

"You think so?" Angela smiled, twirling in front of the big mirror.

"I know so. You can ask Captain Amari here. I bet she agrees with me."

Fareeha looked at the singer, waiting, but instead of asking her, Angela gave her a fleeting shy look before turning away. The blonde returned to the changing booth and closed the curtain behind her. Fareeha resumed her watch. She believed Angela was still upset about what had happened earlier. The singer had not spoken a single word to Fareeha ever since. She had caught brief staring from the blonde during the afternoon shopping, but when she had stared back, Angela had darted her eyes away. For once Fareeha preferred this quiet Angela. She admitted to herself she felt a bit tense talking to her beautiful client. It was not because she was attracted to her, Fareeha told herself that, but because Angela was so unpredictable. One second she was sweet and friendly, the next moment she would flip unexpectedly.

"I'm bloody thirsty! Gotta go get something to drink. Want anything, love?" asked Lena.

"The usual, please. Thank you, Lena," Angela's voice was heard inside the booth, a bit muffled.

"Alright. Ya want anything, love?" Lena asked Fareeha as she passed by.

Fareeha refused the offer politely. Lena smiled and zipped out of the store in an instance. Fareeha decided to change position. She walked to the left of the store and stood before the big window. With this spot she had a perfect view of the street and still could keep an eye on Angela through the reflection from the mirror on the wall next to her.

Fareeha tried her best to look away from the mirror and focus on the street but failed disappointingly. A small glimpse of Angela's pale skin was enough to distract her, and she silently berated herself for being so unprofessional. She tried to looked away again, but her traitorous eyes kept coming back, searching for more soft-looking skin. For the first time in a long while, Fareeha let her guard down and allowed herself to enjoy the view. The curtain of the changing booth drooped surprisingly low, revealing Angela's naked shoulders to her stare. Fareeha traced her eyes on the curves of those small shoulders to the little hair at the base of her slender neck as Angela had her hair in a ponytail. Angela was the epitome of femininity: soft skin, small frame, lovely face, and perfect curves. Even though the singer looked fragile, Fareeha could detect the lean muscles underneath her flawless skin. Of course Angela had to stay fit for her job. With all that dancing and singing, Fareeha was not surprised to think the blonde had had a very strict work-out schedule.

Fareeha let her mind wonder if Angela loved going to the gym as much as she did. Fareeha had been a fan of the gym back in her younger days, to the point of obsession. She remembered working her body everyday for a long period of time until she felt the pleasant fatigue in her muscles. And she loved being fit and athletic. It was a must in her line of duty, but it also brought her pleasant company. Fareeha Amari had no trouble with attracting women. They came to her involuntarily, yearning to touch her rippling muscles, to test the strength she possessed. Fareeha had dated many women during her time in the army, but none had really been her keeper. It was passionate at first, but then everything just died down eventually.

"Could you get me that green bomber jacket," Angela called, and Fareeha snapped out of her past instantly. She took a breath and composed herself before facing the singer.

"I am your bodyguard, not your personal assistant," she said, as cold and distant as ever.

"Please? I'm not wearing anything. Well, if you count underwear as anything…"

"Okay, where is it?"

"Right there, the rack in front of me," Angela poked an arm out and pointed Fareeha to the jacket.

Fareeha frowned as she went over various of jackets. There were at least three or four green ones, and they all looked the same to her. "Which one is it?" she asked at last, giving up.

"That one, the bomber- No, not that. Do you not know what a bomber jacket is?" giggled Angela.

"I have no idea. They look the same to me."

"You know what, never mind. I'll get it myself, just turn around."

Fareeha looked the blonde dead in the eye, and Angela returned an equally serious look. "Or I can just grab all the green ones and you pick it out yourself," Fareeha countered.

"Or you just need to turn around and promise not to peek. There are many green ones in the rack. It would be a hassle putting them back on," said Angela nonchalantly, staring at Fareeha as if what she had just suggested was the most normal thing in the world.

"Fine," said Fareeha, turning around to face the window again, feeling ridiculously flustered.

"Don't peek."

"I won't," Fareeha sighed, smiling inside at how childish the situation had become. She heard soft footsteps behind her, then came the ruffling sound of clothes, and then the sound of the curtain being drawn again.

"You're safe now," said Angela after a while.

Fareeha chuckled at that. She turned and walked to her previous spot in front of the big window, pretending to watch the street. She had to admit to herself Angela was adorable in her own way. Surely, the blonde had been testing her patient as of late, but Fareeha believed it wasn't intentional. Angela, like any other rich and famous people, had been used to getting what they want. She was an icon, admired by many, and certainly didn't need anyone to tell her what to do, but now suddenly a total stranger appeared out of nowhere, ordering her around, expecting her to change her life style in a matter of days. That, Fareeha sympathized.

"I trust you don't like people like me?" said Angela, pulling Fareeha out of her thoughts. The singer walked to where she stood, regarding her briefly before looking at her own reflection in the mirror, wearing a sparkling green jacket with golden linings.

"People like you?"

"Yeah, celebrities."

"It's not like that," Fareeha shook her head, fixing her gaze to the window again.

"Jack said you wouldn't do celebrities, that I was an exception. Why?" the tone Angela used forced Fareeha to look away from the window and lock eye with her. Curiosity was definitely present in those blue eyes, but there was something else Fareeha couldn't read. It felt a lot like hope.

Fareeha was silent for a long time. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Angela the reason why, the  _real_  reason. In the end, she decided against it. She barely knew the singer, and she didn't want to reopen old wounds. "More money," she finally said, not hoping Angela would buy it. It was a way to say she didn't want to talk about it.

"I don't believe that, but if you don't want to tell me, that's fine," Angela moved away, jogging to a sweater rack. "You haven't answered my first question. Do you not like celebrities?"

"It's not the person. It's the life that I dislike."

"Why is that?"

"Too complicated. Too much attention. It's just…chaotic."

"Everything in this world is chaotic. It depends on one's perspective," said Angela, pulling a white turtle-neck sweater dress against her body. "What do you think?" she asked Fareeha.

"Like I said, I am not your personal assistant-"

"I wasn't asking about this dress."

Fareeha paused, ambers locking on crystal blues. Angela's stare was heated, full of power and confidence, and Fareeha suddenly recalled her younger self once being challenged by a formidable rival. Fareeha wanted to argue, to prove otherwise, but something inside her told her to hold it back. She didn't know Angela. She didn't trust her. "I don't know what to think. You're too smart for me," she lied in the end, adding a little joke to levitate the mood.

Angela didn't say anything more. She gave Fareeha one lingering gaze before moving back to the changing booth, and they didn't make any conversations after that. Fareeha was left wondering about that final look. Disappointment was prominent, but there was something else in her blue eyes at that moment, something Fareeha didn't dare to acknowledge. It was loneliness.

0ooo0

It turned out the restaurant Angela and Lena wanted to go to wasn't what Fareeha had expected. It was a small and cozy little cot, with fine wine and affordable prices. Also, it was a very secluded place, with only a couple of patrons sitting here and there, minding their own business. Fareeha was surprised to see there was no paparazzi camping outside the restaurant, and for that she was grateful. Dealing with those hounds was the worst.

Fareeha sat in a booth with Zarya, Lucio, and Mei, watching the blonde and her friend sitting and chatting in the opposite booth. She chose this booth because it was the closest to Angela's, and she had a great view of the singer as well as the street. She could detect even the smallest movement that was out of ordinary.

"Angela must be a handful, I assume?" said Zarya, bringing Fareeha's attention back to their table. "She's not a bad person. She's just having trouble with keeping her temper," she continued.

"You're not the first one on her receiving end," Lucio said, gesturing to himself, Zarya, and Mei, telling Fareeha they had once been in the same situation. "She doesn't trust strangers," he smiled.

"Mei here has it worst, being her personal assistant," Zarya elbowed Mei, laughing. "Hey, that was a joke," she quickly raised her hands in defense when Mei threw her an annoyed look.

"I don't have any problems with Angela," said Fareeha, jaw set, "She's my duty. I signed the contract, I'll keep her safe."

"Okay, soldier..." said Zarya, defeated. Fareeha believed the woman had somehow expected her to be more friendly, but she wasn't here to make friends.

"Oh yeah! Here comes our food," exclaimed Lucio, clearly appearing grateful for the interruption. He excitedly grabbed his fork and started digging in right away.

Fareeha also grabbed her spoon, and as she was about to scoop a dumpling on her spoon, a hand cupped her neck from behind. Barely in a tick, Fareeha turned around and grabbed the offending hand, yanking it forward, hands ready to break bones if necessary.

"Whoa there! It's me!" Genji exclaimed, clearly in panic and pain. His hand was paralyzed in Fareeha's grip.

Fareeha slowly let go of the man. Ignoring the staring from other patrons in the restaurant at the sudden out-bust, she said curtly, "Sorry. Reflex."

"You scared me to death, captain. I thought I was going to lose my arm a moment there," said Genji nervously, rubbing his wrist. "Guess I deserved that, touching without permission," he laughed.

"Yo! What are you doing here, mister Shimada?" Lucio greeted cheerfully and laughed out loud at the look Genji gave him. "Alright, alright. I won't call you that anymore."

"Oh, I'm just here to hang out with you guys," Genji smiled, "Is that not okay?"

"Of course it is okay! It's been a while since we could all be together like this. Grab a chair!" Lucio smiled a toothy smile, pointing to an empty chair not far away.

Genji pulled the chair to the booth they were sitting in, sitting backward. Placing his arms on the back of the wooden chair, he regarded the four of them, grinning, "I hope y'all have a wonderful afternoon?"

"Oh, it was great! Fareeha showed me a few tricks with the limo!" exclaimed Lucio excitedly, looking over at Fareeha. "To be honest, I have no idea how on earth you know all that. It's amazing!"

"I used to race when I was in college. It was an amateur activity though. A hobby," Fareeha said, chewing on the dumpling.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you, Captain Amari?" said Genji. He picked up a toothpick and used it to pick on a baby tomato in Zarya's salad, popping it into his mouth.

"Order you own food, Genji," Zarya grumbled good-naturedly, using her arms to shield her salad from another attack.

"Nah, it tastes better this way."

Zarya and Lucio laughed along with the man while Mei only smiled gently. Fareeha observed them silently. They seemed to be nice people, nice enough to talk and laugh with, she thought, but to trust was another issue.

"Now, if you excuse me, I have something to inform the princess," Genji said, standing up. He put the chair back where it was, winking at them before walking to where Angela and Lena were.

Fareeha's eyes followed the man as he sneaked behind the singer. She watched Angela jump slightly at the sudden proximity. The blonde swatted Genji on his arm, laughing along with her friend. She returned her gaze to her food when Genji sat down next to Angela, whispering something in her ear. Fareeha poked another dumpling, hoping that Genji and Angela wouldn't have any changes to the schedule they had informed her earlier.

0ooo0

Fareeha nodded to Lucio, who was standing next to their limo on the other side of the street, before returning inside the restaurant. She walked to Angela, who was sitting uncomfortably in her seat, clearly upset. "Zarya, you walked out first and try to keep the paps away as Angela will walk behind you. Angela, you will walk out when I say so, okay?" she said, looking at Angela's eyes. The blonde only nodded at her, arms crossed. "Okay, let's move."

As Zarya opened the door, dozens of paparazzi crowded around her, flashing their cameras. Zarya's muscular arms swung back and forth, pushing at people. She used her height and weight as her advantages to become the wall shielding Angela.

Fareeha nodded to Angela as she saw a small path Zarya had created, and she followed closely to the blonde as she walked out of the restaurant at last. She kept an arm around Angela's shoulders, pushing at the paps herself. Some even rude enough to crouch down under her hovering arms to get a picture of Angela. Fareeha gritted her teeth, offended by the thought of Angela's privates might be displaced since the blonde was wearing a dress. She couldn't let that happen. She used her leg to push the rude paparazzo away; the guy let out a cry and fell flat on his back.

Lucky for them, Lucio had had the limo right in front of the pathway lead to the restaurant, and all they had to do was walking a few steps to the vehicle. Fareeha was impressed by Zarya's performance. The woman had managed to keep the relentless paparazzi at arm reach, making Fareeha's job a little easier to walk Angela to safety.

Just when Angela was about to get inside the car, a girl ran up to the blonde, her hands was in her backpack, pulling out something. Fareeha acted on impulse, placing her palm against the girl's front, stopping the child midway.

"It's okay," Angela touched her arm, silently ordering her to let the child pass.

Fareeha reigned a war within herself. They were still practically being surrounded by paparazzi yelling and calling for Angela. If they didn't get in the car right now, the paps might overpower her and Zarya and could block the only escape. But one look at the little girl's hopeful expression and she couldn't resist it. "Make it quick, kid," she sighed.

The girl beamed and quickly pulled out a small teddy bear, but instead of letting Angela take it, Fareeha took the stuffed animal. She quickly pushed the singer into the car and closed the door. She ran back up the path and cleared the paps away for Lena, Mei, and Genji to pass. It wasn't as difficult as earlier because the paparazzi only wanted Angela. Once Fareeha made sure everyone got in safely, she opened the passenger door and got in herself. With one look and Lucio drove them away from the crowd of disappointed-looking people.

"Can I have the teddy now?" Angela asked after a while.

"Not yet," Fareeha replied curtly. She glanced at the rear mirror and saw a frowning Angela in the back seat, crossing her arms again, and Lena was rubbing her arms to calm her.

"It's just a toy!" Angela retorted, clearly angry now.

"It was a toy last time, too, and I almost lost my arm, Angie," said Lucio.

"What are you saying? You told me you were bitten by a pit bull," Angela looked shocked, then after a moment of processing the information, she turned to glare at the green-haired man. "Genji!"

"I was going to tell you, sweetie. I didn't want to worry you," said Genji.

"I don't know you people anymore!" exclaimed Angela angrily.

"Sorry, Angie…" Lucio lowered his voice. He looked rather sad and ashamed, and Fareeha felt sympathy for the guy. He was probably just following Genji's order.

Fareeha's eyes met Angela's for a brief moment before the blonde darted her gaze to the window. If she were Angela, she would be furious, too. She'd rather know what she was dealing with than being kept ignorant of the dangers ahead. Fareeha turned the stuffed toy in her hands, pressing and probing, and found nothing suspicious. "Here. It's safe," she said, turning around and handing the blonde her gift.

"Thank you," mumbled Angela, suddenly looking shy.

0ooo0

"What are we looking for?" asked Lucio beside her, holding a flashlight.

"Bombs," was Fareeha's nonchalant answer. They were on their hands and feet, heads bending at awkward angles as they inspected under the limo. Fareeha glanced over to her companion and grinned. The guy had a stunned look plastered on his handsome face, his mouth hanging open. Fareeha adjusted the stick of the mirror upward so she could get a better view. "Shine the light over there. Yeah, stay there," she ordered.

"Is this what you always do?" asked Lucio again.

"Pretty much, yes."

"Wow…"

Fareeha paused her movement when she saw Angela and the team stepping out into the garden through the mirror in her hand. Angela was wearing a long red cloak with a hood over her head. She looked very much like the Red Riding Hood. Standing up and dusted her knees, Fareeha looked to Lucio, "What is going on? I thought it was a private dinner?"

"I don't know anything either."

Fareeha walked to where the crew was, grabbing Genji's arm and dragging him away. "What is this? Why is she dressing like that?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I forgot to tell you. Plans have been changed. Angela is going to perform her newest single tonight in a club, the biggest club in LA!" Genji grinned, clapping his hands.

"This isn't wise, Genji! Not while there're threats out there!"

"That's why we hired you, captain," said Genji with a smile and walked past her to the limo.

Fareeha groaned audibly, rubbing her forehead. If they had told her sooner, she could have prepared herself, and maybe have made a few phone calls for additional security. She ignored Jack's sorry look and walked to Angela. "Angela…" she called.

"Oh nice suit, Fareeha," Angela smiled, looking at her black suit and tie appreciatively. Fareeha could see Angela was in a good mood tonight, and she didn't want to be on her bad side by convincing her not to go, not that it would budge the blonde anyway.

"Angela, I want you to have this," she said, opening her palm to reveal a silver cross with a deep blue gem in the middle.

"It's beautiful, Fareeha," Angela exclaimed, gently taking it from her palm. The singer looked up at her with gratitude, smiling the impossibly beautiful smile. "Thank you."

Fareeha nodded half-heartedly. She took the cross form the other's palm and held it in front of Angela. "You see this blue stone? Press on it whenever you need help, and it will send me the signal, and I will come for you," she said matter-of-factly, pressing on the blue stone as she had said. A beep sound coming shortly after, and the light on Fareeha's lapel flashed red.

Angela deflated immediately. She took the cross from Fareeha's palm and threw one disappointing look at her before walking to the limo, never once looking back. Fareeha sighed. She had a pretty good idea why Angela suddenly became distant again. She rubbed her face tiredly before following the blonde.

"Fareeha, it's-," Jack began as she was close to him, but Fareeha held up her hand to silenced him.

"We'll talk about this later," she said, getting in her seat.

They arrived at the club in a few minutes, and already people had crowded the place, forming a big mob in front of the tall double door. Fareeha was pleased to see the club's staff had already made a path for them, with red carpet lining the way to the club and two rows of guards on either side of the way. Fareeha looked at Zarya, and the woman nodded at her before opening her door and stepping outside. The woman walked to the guards at the door and talked to them. They nodded and opened the thick double door with a flick of their wrist.

Fareeha frowned at the crowd, screaming fans and paparazzi invaded the limo, yelling and slapping at the windows in every direction. She took a deep breath before getting out of her seat. She jogged to Angela's and opened the door for her, taking her hand and leading her out. All at once the crowd let out a deafening shriek, and people becoming wilder when they saw Angela in plain sight. Zarya ran back to them and helped the guards at keeping the fans in place while Fareeha quickly led Angela up the path. Sporting a big smile on her face, Angela turned here and there, waving and blowing kisses at her fans. Fareeha had to inflict violence on some of the wildest fans, who had jumped over the fence to grab Angela's cloak. She cursed in her head. If she had her way, she would scoop the singer in her arms and carry her herself inside the building. She began to doubt her decision of letting Angela greet her crazy fans in the middle of the street.

0ooo0

"Remember what we have discussed?" Fareeha asked the dark-skinned man, receiving a firm nod. They were standing outside of Angela's changing room, where the blonde had disappeared into half an hour ago.

"Yes, boss. I have everything ready," said Lucio.

"Good. Now go."

"Fareeha…"

Fareeha turned as she heard her name being called from behind. "What is it, Jack?"

"The man sent another letter," Jack grimly said. He quickly took Fareeha's arm to get her attention as she walked past him to get to the singer. "She's frightened, Fareeha."

"I know," said Fareeha before opening the door to Angela. At the first sight of her, the singer stood. She almost ran to Fareeha but held herself back. Instead, she reached out her palm holding a letter. Fareeha read the letter carefully. It was the same style, with cut-out letters and bad drawings.

"It's a rape threat," Angela said, burying her face in her hands, head downcast.

Fareeha took one look at Genji and Mei before turning back to Angela. "We need to leave. Now," she commanded.

"Wait a minute! We can't just leave like this. People are waiting for her!" Genji cried, stepping in her personal space. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Fareeha didn't move. She gave the man a steal look, reminding him that she was talking to Angela and not him.

"Fareeha's right, Genji. It's too dangerous," said Jack.

"Come on, it's only a letter," Genji kept whining. He turned to Angela instead, "Honey, are you okay? Look, we can't just leave now. Can you hear that? They're calling for you. They love you. You want to let them down?"

"Genji, this is serious. This guy is no amateur. He got in the house once, and now this. Who knows what he can do next," Jack interrupted, pulling him away from Angela.

"Wait, someone was in my house?" Angela snapped, clearly confused.

Jack looked hesitant at first, but he nodded in the end.

"Someone was in my house and you didn't tell me? How could you, Jack?"

"Look, no need to get all flustered. Let's just sit down and have you something to drink and-"

"Shut up, Genji!" Angela barked, effectively shutting him up. "Take me home, Fareeha," she turned and walked to Fareeha.

"Okay great! Let me go and tell the crowd you won't be on stage. Let me disappoint them," Genji called after them as Fareeha led the singer out of the changing room.

"Fareeha, you get her out of here. I'll take care of the waiting crowd," said Jack as he walked up the path leading to the stage.

Fareeha nodded before pulling Angela to the backstage. She had calculated this path right after they got in the club. It was the fastest way to the back door, where she and Lucio had agreed to park the limo, and since it was the backstage, there would be no fans or paparazzi to be worried about. As they moved through the narrow and dark path way, Fareeha could hear the rumbling thunder coming from hundreds of fans. They were chanting a name, her client, the woman she was to protect, Angela Zeigler.

Angela stopped short, standing in the back and listening to the sea of people calling to her out there. She turned and looked at Fareeha. There was a fire in those blue eyes, a passionate desire to prove something, and Fareeha knew that look.

"I have to go, Fareeha. They're calling for me," said Angela, loud and clear against the numbing roar.

"Angela!" Fareeha said, holding the blonde's arm, "It's not worth it."

"I'm not going to throw what's supposed to be mine away just because of some sick pervert," said Angela, the fire in her eyes now growing stronger. "And it's worth it every time," she smiled at Fareeha before turning her back at her to walk on stage.

Fareeha cursed loudly, watching her client walk confidently to a very confused Jack. She cringed as the crowd roared up at the presence of their favorite singer.

"Hello everybody! Hello!" said Angela cheerfully, waving at the sea of fans. "I want you to meet the most wonderful man on earth, Jack Morrison!" Angela exclaimed, throwing an arm around Jack and kissing him on the cheek. Fareeha watched the old man saying something to Angela; a question is plastered on his face, but the singer gently shook her head and whispered something back to him. Jack finally got off the stage and walked to where she was standing.

"I have nothing else to say, Fareeha, so don't look at me like that," Jack walked past her to the VIP lounge, looking tired as ever.

Fareeha turned to Angela again and saw the singer still waving and talking to the crowd. She pressed the button on her lapel, turning on her radio in an instance. "Lucio, coming in? We're not leaving yet. Angela decided to stay, so just stay put, okay?" said Fareeha, eyes still on a certain blonde.

"How are you doing tonight? I hope you don't mind me singing a little bit," Angela giggled when the crowd roared an agreement. "Alright then, this is my new single. It's called 'Into You'. I hope you like it."

Fareeha stood far off to the left of the stage, watching Angela shrugging off her crimson cloak with grace as the music started playing. The singer wore a black leather outfit underneath the cloak, with high-heel boots and black satin cat-ear hairband. Fareeha was surprised she was able to let out a chuckle at Angela's outfit despite the situation. She had to admit Angela looked very sexy wearing the cat woman-look-alike suit.

As she watched the singer performing, Fareeha was baffled by a very different Angela. It was as though the usual snappy young woman had disappeared, replaced by a goddess who had the voice, the moves, and the ability to hypnotize not only the crowd under her, but also everyone present in the room, and that including her, Fareeha Amari. And at this exact moment, Fareeha had given up the excuses or the denial her mind had created to quiet the yearning in her heart. Yes, Fareeha Amari was attracted to Angela Ziegler. There, she admitted it.

As Angela was singing, an excited fan suddenly jumped on stage, moving along with her. Fareeha quickly surge forward, opting to kick the guy off stage, but to her surprise, Angela held up her hand and looked at her, telling her not to do anything. Fareeha did stop, but she frowned deeply, watching the guy dance and grind his body against the blonde. As though having one fan on stage was the green light from Angela, few more bolder ones started coming on stage with her, and as Fareeha was about to come to the rescue, Angela held her back again.

"The hell you're doing, Angela?" She growled, hands forming into tight fists. She suddenly felt hot, her face was burning. Watching the fans dance around Angela infuriated her, and Fareeha had to take a moment to turn her gaze away, raising a hand to loosen her black tie.

And that was her mistake. Fareeha heard a sharp yelp, and as she quickly turned back to the blonde, Angela was being dragged to the crowd. The singer lost her balance and fell into the raising arms of people. The crowd cheered even louder, carrying her gradually away from the stage, from Fareeha.

"Fareeha! Help!" screamed Angela, throwing her hands and feet around, hoping to be let down but to no avail.

With admirable speed, Fareeha jumped off the stage, grabbing an extinguisher on her way and striding towards Angela. She opened the vent and release the gas directly to the crowd holding the singer. The fans yelped in surprise and immediately dropped Angela to the ground. Fareeha roughly shoved people away, punching and kicking anyone that was in her way. And when she got to where Angela was crouching on the floor, she silently bent down and scooped her into her arms. Angela whimpered against her chest, burying her face in her neck. With both her arms busied carrying the blonde bridal-style, Fareeha used her legs to kick at everyone and everything in her path. She was sure she left someone with a broken nose.

"Zarya, a little help here!" said Fareeha in her radio, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the woman ran to her, slamming her hard body against the screaming fans. Using Zarya as a distraction, Fareeha easily slipped away from the chaos being the die-hard fans. She quickly called Lucio while still carrying Angela to the back door. A hand out of nowhere placed firmly on her shoulder, and Fareeha wielded her head around to stare at Genji's face.

"Where are you going? Let me take her. I'll take care of her," he demanded.

"She's going home, Genji. That's enough for tonight."

"Wait, you don't understand-"

Fareeha shrugged off his hold with a shake of her shoulder and walked away without another word. She nodded to Lucio who was standing beside the limo, and he got in his seat immediately. Fareeha put the trembling blonde inside the vehicle and got in herself. Lucio started the engines, and soon they were off on the night street, heading to Angela's mansion.

Noticing a quivering Angela, Fareeha dutifully took off her jacket and draped it around the blonde's shoulders. Angela jumped lightly at the contact. She looked at her with terrifying blue eyes, tears brimming in the corners.

Fareeha silently engulfed the smaller girl in her arms, pulling her shaking body to hers. "It's okay. You're safe now," she whispered, smiling as she felt Angela clutched at her shirt, rubbing her face against her chest.

"I've never done something like this before," said Lucio in the driver's seat, looking rather disheveled himself. "That was…intense."

0ooo0

Fareeha pulled the cover up to the blonde's chin, smoothing her palms at the hem. Angela had kept quiet the whole ride home, and even when Fareeha tucked her to bed, she hadn't spoken a word.

"How are you feeling?" asked Fareeha.

A moment of silence before Angela finally spoke up, "I'm okay now. I-I thought I was going to die there."

"I won't let that happen."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

To her surprise, Angela reach out her hand and grabbed hers. She pulled it to her face and snuggled it, and Fareeha let her guard down once again, raising her hand to stroke blonde hair.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch to you," Angela mumbled, hiding her face in Fareeha's large hand.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter."

"Don't you want to know why I behave that way?"

"Maybe some other time? Right now you need to rest. You have just experienced panic attack."

"Okay."

Fareeha smiled. She gave Angela's hair one last stroke before standing up and turning off the light. When the moon shone its silver light on everything in the master bedroom, Angela's hair stood out the most. It was no longer the soft blonde Fareeha was used to. Angela's hair was now a platinum white; a soft glow surrounded her head, deceiving one into believing there was a halo around her. And her blue eyes were suddenly so bright in the dimly lit room, shining like crystals. Fareeha wondered if she was looking at an angel, clad in just a thin white nightgown.

Oh, Fareeha was so tempted to stay, to bent down and place kisses all over her perfect skin. To elicit tiny and sweet moans from the angel, but she held herself back anyway. Years of training in the army and years of working as a secret agent had taught her self-restraint. She couldn't risk it again. She made a mistake last time, and she was still paying for it every day. She had promised Angela to protect her, and protect she would.

Fareeha turned and walked out to be stopped by someone grabbing on her fingers. She looked down and saw smaller hand gingerly hold on to her callous one.

"I'm glad you're here," said Angela, smiling shyly.

"Good night, Angela."

"Good night, Fareeha."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're going on a date next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date!

0ooo0

Angela pulled the shades of her sunglasses over her eyes, blushing as she had been caught staring at a certain bodyguard.

“Shut up, Lena,” she grumbled, throwing a playful glare at the laughing woman sitting opposite her.

“You know you like her,” Lena winked, jerking her morning spiky head towards Fareeha, who was squatting down, checking a rose bush not far away from them.

Angela didn’t say anything back. She sipped at her drink and turned her gaze back to her magazine, pretending to read again.

“You should ask her out,” said Lena.

“No way. That’s ridiculous,” Angela scoffed, sitting up to reach for the sunscreen on the table next to her lounge chair. She squeezed out a generous amount of sunscreen on her palm and began to apply it on her pale arms.

“Is not! How do you know if she’s not interested?” Lena pressed.

“She’s not,” Angela shook her head, “She doesn’t like celebrities.”

“You told me she hated the life of one, not the person. Those are two different concepts.”

Angela sighed audibly, reaching for her sun hat. She had deliberately worn a rather revealing but still cute bikini to the pool today, hoping she would catch a certain woman’s attention, but Fareeha had not looked at her once ever since. Well, to be fair, Fareeha did look at her when she greeted her, but her eyes had shown no sign of appreciation. The same was that cold and professional façade. Angela had even gone to such length by gingerly touching Fareeha’s arms and back a few times; she had even flashed her trademark sensual smile at her, but Fareeha still acted as though she was a brick wall herself, unaffected by Angela’s advances. It annoyed Angela. Fareeha was the first ever to appear unfazed by her seduction.

“I’m going to take a dip. You coming?” Lena said, veering her out of her disappointment. Upon receiving a shaking head from Angela, the girl took off her aviator sunglasses before jumping into the water, making a big splash. She swam to where Lucio and Zarya, who were holding a breath contest.

Watching her friends play and laugh together in the pool lifted Angela’s mood a little, so she rose from her longue, taking off the skirt she wore over her waist and her sunglasses. She walked to the edge of the pool and gracefully made a dive. She headed for Lena and the others, a plan forming in her mind. She would pull on Lena’s legs and dunk that spiky head under the water.  

0ooo0

Angela was having her afternoon run around the mansion when she spotted her bodyguard. The tall woman was checking the fence surrounded the place; in her hands was a notebook and a tape measure. She watched as Fareeha placed the tape against the height of the fence and nodded to herself before jotting down on her notebook.

Angela bit her lip nervously. She was waging a war within. Would this be the best time to ask Fareeha out on a date? They were alone together, in the middle of the paved pathway, surrounded by trees and bushes. No one would ever venture to this exact spot except for Angela because of her run and Fareeha because of God knows what.

She and Lena had spent almost the whole afternoon sketching out the plan of how to ask Fareeha Amari out on a date without embarrassing Angela. She had practiced what she needed to say many times in front of Lena, who had pretended to be her bodyguard. They had had a good laugh every time Lena decided to say something out of character. Angela had been very confident when she practiced with her best friend, but now she was having second thought as she stood just a few feet away from Fareeha.

“Shut up, Angela! You can do this. Come to her now!” mumbled Angela before she took a deep breath and started walking to her bodyguard.  

“Hi!” Angela said, smiling.

Fareeha stopped what she was doing and turned to face her. She offered a small smile, “Hi, Angela.”

“May I ask what you are doing?” said Angela, pointing to the tape.

“Oh, just measuring the height of these things so I can start installing the camera system. I’m almost done.”

“Great! So I was wondering if I should tell you this,” said Angela, twisting her hands together behind her back.

“Yes?”

“You know, I like to go out and have fun and stuff. And I like to go on a date with people…” said Angela, trying to hide her blush, “…and you know, what if I find someone that I like and…”

“I can keep a proper distance so that you and your date won’t feel awkward,” Fareeha said, looking very serious and professional.

“But what if…what if I like that person so much and want to come over to their place? You don’t want to tag along in that case, do you?”

“Oh, well…that’s…” now it was Fareeha who stammered. She looked quite troubled, rubbing at her neck.

“Yeah, so the only way is for you to take me out on a date yourself. That way you can protect me, and I can have my date. What do you say?” Angela gave up hiding her blush. She looked up at Fareeha, waiting, hoping.

“I…well…” Fareeha frowned, turning away from her gaze. She licked her lip and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it in the end.

Fareeha looked very uncomfortable, Angela thought. She kept rubbing her neck and refused to look into Angela’s eyes. Something in Angela snapped, and she suddenly felt like crying. She quickly turned her head away. “Forget what I just said,” she blurted, “It was stupid of me.” She made to run away, but Fareeha stopped her by grabbing her hand.

“I’d love to, Angela.”

“What?” Angela sniffed.

“I’d love to take you out on a date, Angela,” Fareeha repeated, locking eyes with her.

Angela was sure she looked like a fool staring dumbly at Fareeha. She quickly snapped out of it as she rubbed her misty eyes. She had been on the verge of tears when she saw Fareeha’s troubled expression earlier. She had thought she was very clearly being rejected. “Really?” asked Angela at last.

“Yes. How about tonight? I’ll take you to a movie and dinner,” Fareeha said, looking very calm and patient.

Angela felt herself smiling like she had never smiled so much before. She was so elated she almost forgot the warmth surrounding her hand. She looked down and saw Fareeha’s hand still holding onto hers, and her heart made a funny leap when Fareeha made no attempt to let go. “I’d love that very much,” she said, revel in the texture of the other woman’s hand, calloused hands, yet it was very warm and comforting.

“Great! I’ll see you tonight, then?” Fareeha finally let go of her hand but not without offering her a dashing smile.  

“Yeah. I’ll see you tonight,” Angela smiled and then turned to jog away. She should go before she embarrassed herself further, she thought. Her face felt so warm and her heart so full she didn’t think she could resist the urge to throw herself at Fareeha. For the longest time, Angela experienced the giddy feeling of having a crush, and it was even better now that the feeling was mutual.

Angela practically ran back to the mansion. She set to seek for her best friend to tell her the whole story, and maybe ask her to help her get ready for the night. Angela made a beeline to Lena’s room, humming to herself the whole way, catching some of her employees off guard by smiling toothily at them.

“Lena, wake up! We have things to do,” Angela said, slamming the door open, jerking her friend out of her nap.

“Angela, don’t you know how to knock?” Lena grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“As if you ever knock before entering,” Angela retorted. “Come on, help me pick out an outfit. I’m going on a date tonight,” she said, pulling on the half-asleep girl sitting on the bed.

At the mention of a date, Lena snapped her eyes open in an instance, “What? She said yes? When?”

Angela dragged the girl out of her room and headed to hers, telling Lena everything on their way. Lena kept whistling at how smooth she was, but if she really knew how nervous Angela had felt, she would probably laugh her guts out by now.

“So, what should I wear?” asked Angela as she stood in front of her wardrobe. “I want to look pretty but not the innocent way, and I don’t want to look too sexy either. Might scare her off.”

“Are you going to shag her tonight?” Lena blurted.

“Lena!”

“What? Are you or are you not?”

“It does not depend entirely on me!”

“But you want to?”

Angela bit her lip, turning her back to her friend. There was no denial that she wanted to sleep with Fareeha. _Who doesn’t?_ Fareeha was hot, and she believed her bodyguard was very aware of that fact. She also knew that Fareeha was not an amateur when talking about these things. Fareeha was older than her and had been in the army before. Hell, she might even be more experienced than her. Angela was not a virgin, but her dating life had been kept to the minimum due to her career. The dating rumors the media had reported of hers were all set up by Genji, and she had gone along with the plan just to gain attention. It was simply a PR act.

“I really don’t want it to be just a one-nightstand,” she mumbled out at last, playing with her hands.

“Hey, I know, love. She’s special I can see that,” Lena came to her, rubbing her back gently. “But I know you want her, and it’s okay to shag on the first date,” she laughed when Angela turned and gave her the look.

“What makes you so sure that she wants me that way?” said Angela, picking out a purple dress.

“Oh please, if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have agreed to take you out.”

“Maybe it was to save my face…”

“Angela, stop talking backwards. Let’s focus on how to make you look ravishing tonight,” said Lena before she pushed Angela aside to stand in front of the wardrobe.

0ooo0

Angela covered her eyes with her hands as the Samurai on the screen swung his sword down an enemy, cutting off an arm. She opened her eyes a moment later when she heard a chuckle coming right next to her. Fareeha was looking at her with amusement. Even though it was a teasing smile, Angela could not help but being mesmerized by such charm. She shoved at Fareeha’s arm and quickly hid her blush. Lucky for her the cinema was pretty dark at the moment.

“What’s the point of watching if you keep covering your eyes half of the time?” whispered Fareeha in Angela’s ear, and Angela had to take a moment to compose herself at the closeness.

“I don’t like blood,” said Angela at last.

Fareeha stopped teasing her after that and focused on the movie as it had come close to the climax. The whole time Angela kept stealing glances at her bodyguard. Fareeha had turned completely engrossed in the movie, only pausing to drink her coke, and Angela found it adorable. Fareeha looked relaxed. There was no trace of the intimidation in her expression as well as the coldness she usually sported. Sitting next to Angela was a different Fareeha, who was wearing a simple t-shirt under black leather jacket and faded jeans.

Angela ignored the movie completely, too busy admiring her date. She didn’t like it anyway. She wasn’t a fan of Samurais, pirates, and the likes. She’d rather watched a romantic comedy. Instead, she weaved her fingers through Fareeha’s, pulling her hand to her lap. She rested her head on Fareeha’s shoulder as she idly played with her hand, and she smiled when Fareeha let her.

“You didn’t like the movie,” said Fareeha as they walked side by side on the sidewalk, more of a statement than a question in her tone.

“It was alright. I didn’t like the gore though,” said Angela, clutching at the jacket Fareeha had draped over her shoulders.

“It’s okay. Not many people find that movie interesting.”

“Is it your favorite?” asked Angela.

“Yeah. I have watched it many times.”

“How many times?”

“Uh…sixty-two times, I guess.”

“Sixty-two?” Angela exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at a chuckling and nodding Fareeha. “Wow…”

“Over here,” Fareeha pointed to a small bar squeezed in between a bookstore and an antique shop. Angela took note that the LED sign in front of the place was a picture of an eye, one that looked a lot like Fareeha’s tattoo. Underneath the sign was the name ‘Horus’.

As Angela stepped inside the bar, she was greeted with nostalgia. The bar was not too busy, cozy with country music playing in the background. It reminded her of her younger days, hanging around country bars with Lena and her peers, sipping on her beer and swaying to the flow of gentle music. It was a pleasant surprise to find such a place in the heart of Hollywood.

Fareeha led them to a booth in the corner. She gestured for Angela to sit down before walking to the counter and greeting the old man standing behind it. While Fareeha talked, Angela observed the place: golden lights hanging from the ceiling, a jukebox in the corner playing a song Angela didn’t remember, sitting on wooden stools lined up the counter were men and women who was talking or simply just enjoying each other's company, their drinks in hands. There was a dance floor not far away from where she was, and people was swaying to the beat, lost in their own world.

Her gaze returned to the only person who had taken her attention the whole night. Angela’s eyes traced Fareeha’s frame, admiring her broad shoulders, the rippling muscles of her back, the way her arms filled out the sleeves of her gray t-shirt, stretching them taut. Blue eyes ran down long legs, covered by faded cowboy jeans. She immediately chastised herself for thinking how those strong thighs would tremble under her touch. Angela bet they were ripped as well. She darted her gaze away when Fareeha turned and walked back to her. Yes, Fareeha was definitely her type.

“I hope you like hotdogs and fries,” said Fareeha, sitting down opposite her. “It’s a house’s specialty,” she pushed a bottle of beer over to Angela before sipping on hers.

“I do like hotdogs and fries. Thank you,” said Angela, smiling. “So, this is your kind of place?”

“Yeah, this is my kind of place,” Fareeha smiled, fingers playing with her bottle. “Sorry if it disappoints you,” she added with a chuckle.

“What are you talking about? I love this place. It’s my kind of place now,” Angela said smugly, taking a sip from her beer bottle.

“I’m glad.”

They sat in comfortable silence, waiting for their food, and when it came, they ate and talked. Angela noticed that she was the one who did most of the talking while Fareeha listened and commented. And that was not okay. She needed to make Fareeha talk. She wanted to know more about this woman.

“So, have you ever liked someone?” Angela asked, praying silently that Fareeha wouldn’t think it was too forward.

“What do you mean?” Fareeha stopped playing with her fries and looked at her.

“I mean me, a girl. Do you like girls?”

Fareeha regarded her intently for a moment before speaking, “I do.”

“Only girls?” said Angela, fluttering her eyelashes deliberately.

“Only girls.”

Angela felt her face heating up at the admission. She had suspected Fareeha only liked women the moment she first saw her, but now hearing her confirmation was a lot more pleasant to the ear. “Can I ask about your previous relationship?” Angela hid a blush and instead held her breath, locking eyes with warm honey brown.  

“It wasn’t really a relationship. It ended as fast as it had happened,” said Fareeha easily, sipping on her beer.

Angela felt like there was more than Fareeha was letting on, and although Fareeha was acting as though that was it, she knew her date was still hiding something. “What’d happened?” she pressed, desperately trying to convince Fareeha with her gaze that she was serious, that she cared.

Fareeha was silent again, playing with her bottle. She pursed her lips, looking away from Angela, “She didn’t love me anymore.”

“She was a fool,” said Angela, feeling astounded and angry. How could anyone fall out of love with Fareeha? Fareeha was charming, and kind, strong and handsome. She kept people safe, she would risk her life for them, and yet she was the most modest person Angela had ever met. If Angela were her girl, she would never let Fareeha go.

“I believe she had her reasons,” Fareeha shook her head, smiling the first sad smile Angela had ever seen, and Angela had to resist the urge to reach out and comfort the woman before her.

Instead, she downed the rest of her beer and stood up, reaching out a hand, “Dance with me?”

Fareeha pushed her fries away, took her hand and stood up. Angela smiled and pulled Fareeha towards the dance floor. She wound an arm around Fareeha’s neck, pulling her close as she rested her chin on her shoulder. She closed her eyes when a hand rested itself on the small of her back as Fareeha swayed them both to the soft music. They were very close to one another, so close that Angela could feel the warmth radiated from Fareeha’s body. So close that she could smell Fareeha’s shampoo. So close that she was having difficulty telling apart which was her heartbeat and which was Fareeha’s. Instead, she buried her face in Fareeha’s shoulder, breathing in her comforting fragrance.

Angela was lost in time. Everything zoned out to just the music and Fareeha in her arms. She shuddered when Fareeha laid a tiny kiss against her temple. She looked up just to be lost in liquid brown. Angela wondered if it was because of the dimly-lit room that Fareeha’s eyes seemed to darken almost completely or because of the desire she could feel from the way Fareeha tightened her hold on her.

Her heart was pounding inside her chest, so loud that it drowned out the music and the chatting of people. She stared at Fareeha’s lips, so full and soft, so easy to just lean in and capture them with her own. And she did just that. Angela was leaning in, very close to the point there was only a hair apart from their lips, but a shattered glass pulled Fareeha away the last minute.

Fareeha’s expression turned into that of a hawk’s, glowering at the direction of the offending sound. She darted her eyes around the room as if she was looking for anything that might be a threat. For an instance, the old Fareeha was back, distant and intimidating, and Angela sighed. She rubbed Fareeha’s back gently, coaxing her to relax. “It’s ok. It’s only a broken glass,” she whispered, and when Fareeha wouldn’t stop glaring at everything in the room, Angela palmed her face, turning her to look in her eyes. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be alright. I’ll protect you,” she grinned and was delighted to see Fareeha finally relax.

“Lucky me,” Fareeha chuckled, swaying them back to the music.

0ooo0

Angela bent down to take a closer look at a smiling Fareeha in one of the picture frames on the fireplace. Fareeha looked much younger, probably in her college days, standing with her football teammates.

“Look at you!” Angela exclaimed, pointing to the picture. “What did you play?”

“End,” said Fareeha, sitting on the couch opposite her, a bottle of water in her hand.

“Were you tough?”

“I was fast. Here,” said Fareeha, raising a different bottle of water to her.

Angela took it with a smile before wandering around the living room of Fareeha’s house. She noticed a katana mounted on the wall. She put down her drink and walked to the sword. She admired the sword: black leather scabbard, red cloth-wrapped handle, and golden cross-guard. “Are you some kind of a Samurai yourself?” she teased, grinning at Fareeha, and her date only smiled back. “May I?” Angela asked, pointing to the sword, and received a nod from the other woman.

Angela took the sword down carefully, unsheathed it and held it up to her face; she could see her reflection on the blade. It was a beautiful sword, she acknowledged. It must have been a gift. She began twirling the sword in her hands, wielding it left and right, trying to imitate the Samurai in the movie they had watched earlier.

“Be careful,” Fareeha said, an easy smile on her lips, and Angela entertained herself with the thought of one Fareeha Amari wearing samurai attire, yelling at her enemies as she charged forward.

“You’re a hard one to figure,” Angela said, pointing the tip of the sword to Fareeha’s face. “Why did you quit being a secret agent?”

“Money,” said Fareeha, never flinching from the pointing sword, looking straight into her blue eyes.

“You are such a bad liar,” Angela chuckled, shaking her head. “You said my job was too messed up for you, but what about yours? You practically play with death every day,” she walked closer to Fareeha until the tip of the blade was only a few feet away from her face. “Aren’t you afraid?” Angela murmured.

Fareeha didn’t answer her. Instead, she stood up and made her way to Angela, completely ignoring the fact that there was a sword still pointing at her chest. Angela jumped slightly, stumbling back a few steps, but she still held her sword. That easy smile was still on Fareeha’s lips. She stepped even closer now, so close that the tip was now only a few inches away from puncturing her chest. Her eyes never left Angela’s as she reached out and grabbed the silk scarf Angela was wearing.    

“Watch,” said Fareeha as she tossed the scarf in the air.

Angela’s eyes followed the scarf as it floated for a moment in the air before falling on the blade between them. She gasped as the blade tore her scarf in half barely in a blink of an eye. The two pieces of her ruined scarf floated with grace to the floor. Angela panicked. She didn’t dare moving, afraid that if she did, she might accidentally hurt Fareeha. Her scarf was the proof of life for how sharp the weapon in her hands could be. Luckily, Fareeha reached out and grabbed her wrists. Gently, she pulled the sword away from her chest before taking it from Angela’s grasp. Fareeha dropped it to the ground carelessly as she used her other arm to pulled Angela to her.

“That was my favorite scarf,” Angela pouted, resting her hands on Fareeha’s shoulders.

“Put that on my paycheck,” Fareeha chuckled before leaning into her, and Angela closed her eyes as she let soft lips brush over her own.

0ooo0

Angela moaned as she felt a hot mouth on her neck. Her back arched on the floor, hands clutching at a muscular back. She wrapped her legs tightly around Fareeha’s waist as she rocked her hips forward, seeking friction. Her core met Fareeha’s in an instance, and she let out a throaty moan as a wave of pleasure washed over her entire body. She heard Fareeha grunt an approval above her and had only a moment to prepare herself before Fareeha began a slow thrusting motion.

Angela gasped and cried continuously as Fareeha rubbed their pelvis against each other. She dragged her nails along the taut muscle of her lover’s back as punishment for the bites she had left on her neck and shoulders, earning a hiss from the woman on top of her. Fareeha pulled back to grabbed her wrists before pinning them to the carpet, and Angela had the decency to flash a smug smile at her lover. A burning lust present in her brown eyes as Fareeha stared at her, panting. Oh, how she loved to unlock Fareeha’s wildest side, to release the beast she knew Fareeha had been hiding. This, Fareeha’s raw desire for her, was what she wanted, what she needed, what she had been looking for.

“Do you trust me?” Fareeha rasped, sweat dripping down her temples as she shuddered with every breath taken.

“Yes…” Angela whispered, waiting with baited breath as a rough hand travel down the plane of her stomach, past her navel to reach for the part between her legs. And when deft fingers found the little bud they had been looking for, Angela let herself float. She felt it, the pleasure she had been wanting, lancing its way through every nook and cranny of her being. But it was not enough. She needed more, so she begged, “Fareeha please, more…”

She never let Angela down. Fareeha began her slow rubbing circles, pressing and pinching occasionally, and yes, it was what Angela wanted, but not what she needed. She need to be filled, to be stretched, to feel Fareeha _inside_ of her. “Inside, please!” She murmured frantically, hand pulling Fareeha’s neck down for a sloppy kiss.

And Fareeha complied. Head falling back to the soft pillow under her head, eyelids fluttering, Angela opened her mouth in a silent scream when a finger entered her. Not waiting for her to accommodate the sudden intrusion, Angela felt Fareeha’s second finger join the first in an instance. It slid in with ease thanks to her wetness. “Oh!” Angela gasped, back arching off the carpeted floor once again.

“Does it hurt?”

Angela heard Fareeha’s low voice so close to her ears. She opened her eyes to be drown in a pool of honey brown, emotions swirling within. Fareeha’s face was impossibly close. With their foreheads touching, Angela could feel the warmth of Fareeha’s breath, could taste the saltiness of their mingled sweat. Fareeha was breathtaking.

“It doesn’t,” she managed at last.

“Do you think you can take more?”

“Yes…”

And Fareeha entered her with the third finger, filling her completely at last. It was too much at first that Angela could not stop a whimper, but Fareeha was quick to comfort her. She kissed Angela deeply, tangling their tongues. She then moved to peck Angela’s eyes, nose, and cheeks, leaving none to be kissed. Fareeha’s free hand made good use as well. She rubbed up and down Angela’s hip, soothing the tension in her muscles, and Angela finally felt at ease.

She focused solely on the movement inside of her. The fingers thrust and pulled, dragging on a long path from deep inside to the opening of her entrance, and they repeated the pattern again and again until Angela went out of breath. She had abandoned Fareeha’s mouth to shamelessly gasp and moan her pleasure. The fingers suddenly hooked themselves, pressing hard against that deliciously sensitive place inside of her, and they began to assault that rough patch.

“Oh, please don’t stop,” Angela murmured, biting her own lip to stop the loud sounds coming uncontrollably from her mouth. She failed anyway when Fareeha’s thumb pressed against her clit, rubbing in swift circles.

The thrusting doubled with Fareeha’s rubbing thumb were too much for Angela to handle, so she let go. Angela came in Fareeha’s arms. She was not sure if she did scream Fareeha’s name. She was too lost in her rapture to even care about anything or anyone anymore. But she registered how Fareeha had lain next to her and pulled her into strong arms.

Angela snuggled close to Fareeha, burying her nose in sweaty chest, inhaling her unique scent. She wrapped her arms around her waist as Fareeha pulled the cover over their bodies. Angela leaned up to kissed Fareeha jaw before letting out a huge yawn, and she sighed happily when Fareeha kissed her forehead. “I’ve never felt this safe before,” she whispered, watching the fire dance in the fireplace before them. “No one can get by you.”

Fareeha made a rumbling sound much like a chuckle in her throat. She tightened her hold on Angela. Angela closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to the sensation of Fareeha’s hand running up and down her bare arm. No, she had never felt this way before. She had never been this peaceful, had never had her heart so full to the point it could burst through her chest. Angela believed she had fallen in love with her bodyguard. And though it might be wrong to love such a person, it had never felt so right.   

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they had sex! Yay! I don't think I have to change the rating, no? I mean it wasn't that explicit. Oh, and I am all for the sex on the first date. It's hot!
> 
> Next chapter we get to see Fareeha acting like a complete jerk. Until then!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for spending your time reading this story of mine! I'll be updating soon. Tell me what you think, alright? Again, thanks a lot for stopping by! Author's out.


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